MEMPHIS, TN - (WMC-TV) – Triathlon training took a dangerous turn Thursday night when Memphis Police arrested two swimmers in the Mississippi River at BBQ Fest.

The whole Mississippi River swimming adventure and arrest sounds more like a comedy of errors with two confident swimmers who say they didn't know who was yelling at them and officers wondering if they were crazy.

"They were both in bathing suits and little goggles," police officers said.

"We were training for the triathlon," said Richard Prince, one of the swimmers arrested.

The two men say swimming in the Mississippi River is not dangerous, if you know what you are doing.

"I swim in it all the time," he said.

65-year-old Richard Prince has done the Ironman and has been swimming in the Mississippi his whole life. He also has piloted a riverboat for decades. He knows the river.

"When I get off work I just jump in the river and swim across. It's no big deal," Prince said.

But it became a big deal Thursday when people at the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest saw them.

"We were having a good time and everything was fine until we went by the Memphis In May barbecue," Prince said.

That's when some people became concerned and told police. Officers told the men to get out.

But Prince, who was leading Roberto Ferie, didn't have his glasses on, and can't hear well. So he didn't know who was yelling at him.

"I thought they were barbecue officials," he said.

Prince wanted to swim to his barge to get out at a safer spot. But he says Ferie hopped on the wrong barge, one carrying hazardous material. The captain was yelling at them to get off. When police finally caught up with them they had their guns drawn.

"Sorry it happened. We don't do it again," Prince said.

The two swimmers are charged with criminal trespass. Police say it is not illegal to swim in the Mississippi river but it is not recommended. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

MEMPHIS, TN -

(WMC-TV) – Two Memphis men were arrested Thursday after they decided to dive into the Mississippi River and swim their way to New Orleans, according to court records.

One of the thousands of people attending the Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest spotted the men swimming in the river and alerted officers who were patrolling Tom Lee Park.

Police tried to get the Richard Prince and Roberto Ferie to swim back to the shore. However, instead of getting out of the water, the men told officers that they were swimming to New Orleans.

"That statement led Harbor Patrol officers to believe the two suspect (sic) may have been in an unstable state of mind," according to the police report.

But catching Prince and Ferie proved pretty difficult.

Before police boats could catch up with the pair, the men managed to climb aboard the "Arne Christiansen," a ship carrying hazardous material down the river, officer said.

The ship's captain ordered the men off his vessel over the vessel's loud speaker. But instead of jumping overboard, Prince and Ferie asked a crew member to help hide them from police, according to court records.

However, their pleas for help didn't work and eventually the pair jumped back into the river and boarded a second boat.

But officers were ready for the men and, with guns drawn, managed to arrest them on the boat's deck.

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